The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday unanimously appointed Shoun Thao to serve as the interim District 2 Councilmember.
Thao will be sworn in at the April 2 Council meeting and will serve in this capacity until the elected District 2 councilmember takes office in December.
A graduate of Grant Union High School and UC Davis, Thao previously worked as a Council representative for former District 2 Councilmember Allen Warren. He currently serves as executive director of Hmong Youth and Parents United, a nonprofit focused on youth and marginalized communities.
“As someone who understands the challenges of our community, I am committed to helping provide a sense of stability for our district at City Hall until a new councilmember can be elected to fill that role in November,” Thao said.
The District 2 Council seat, which represents areas in North Sacramento, was previously held by Sean Loloee, who resigned in January.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg had previously stated that if a candidate running for the District 2 seat won by more than 50% of the vote in the March primary election, the Council would consider appointing that person to the position immediately following the election.
No one candidate has received 50% after the March election. With candidates Roger Dickinson and Stephen Walton headed to a runoff in November, the Council decided to appoint an interim Councilmember to serve until the election.
Applications for the interim Council position were open Feb. 1-29, and a dozen people applied.
The City’s Personnel and Public Employees Committee reviewed six applicants at a March 14 meeting and recommended three qualified candidates for final approval by City Council.
Since January, District 2 has been represented by Mayor Steinberg
Winners for all Council seats up for election will be sworn in on Dec. 10.